Baristas fight for right to wear bikinis

Bare-chested baristas may soon be outlawed in Washington city2:00

Seven bikini baristas and the owner of a chain of the coffee stands called “Hillbilly Hotties” are suing the city of Everett, Washington, saying laws banning bare skin violate their right to free expression. Courtesy: Fox News

September 12th 2017

a year ago

/display/newscorpaustralia.com/Web/NewsNetwork/Network News/World/

Seven baristas and the owner of a chain of coffee stands are suing a US city saying laws banning bare skin violate their right to free expression.Source:Getty Images

SEVEN bikini baristas and the owner of a chain of the coffee stands called “Hillbilly Hotties” are suing the city of Everett, Washington, saying laws banning bare skin violate their right to free expression.

The suit, filed in US District Court in Seattle, says the ordinances passed by the Everett City Council deny bikini-stand employees the ability to communicate through their attire, are vague and confusing, and unlawfully target women.

A barista at a Grab-N-Go Bikini Hut espresso, just outside the city limits of Everett, Washington. Picture: AP Photo/Ted S. WarrenSource:AP

“Just like Starbucks with green aprons, UPS with brown trucks and outfits, and Hooter’s with short-orange shorts, the baristas’ attire evokes a message at work,” the lawsuit says, adding that such messages include “freedom, empowerment, openness, acceptance, approachability, vulnerability and individuality”.

One of Everett’s new laws requires the workers to wear a minimum of tank tops and shorts. It specifically applies to employees at “quick service” restaurants, which also include fast-food and food trucks.

The other redefined the city’s lewd conduct ordinance and created a new crime of facilitating lewd conduct. Both ordinances took effect early this month.

The city cited “a proliferation of crimes of a sexual nature occurring at bikini barista stands throughout the city” in adopting the measures.

“Employees and owners of barista stands where this conduct occurs are making large sums of money from overtly sexual, lewd conduct, and prostitution,” the city declared in one of the measures.

Among the allegations in the lawsuit is that the laws’ definitions of what skin must be covered up are confusing.

The dress code for baristas refers to the “upper and lower body,” stomach, and back below the shoulder blades, among other areas.

“The length of a common woman’s shirt is often short enough that stretching or bending would reveal part of her back or stomach,” the lawsuit says.

The other measure bans “an exposure of more than one-half of the part of the female breast located below the top of the areola.”

“To properly enforce the citywide ordinance, a police officer must determine the location of the ‘top of a woman’s areola,’ which can only be seen by exposing the breast,” the complaint says. “This would subject women to humiliating and offensive searches.”